Feb. 26 (UPI) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul stepped in to help a Long Island grandfather win his battle over a customized license plate reading “PB4WEGO.”
Seth Bykofsky shared a photo of a letter he received from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles in January telling him his “PB4WEGO” plate — which he admits stands for “pee before we go” — had been found to be in violation of the department’s regulations.
The DMV’s rules prohibit vanity plates bearing messages that could be construed as “derogatory, contemptuous, degrading, disrespectful or inflammatory.”
Bykofsky argued his plate did not qualify.
“Derogatory? Contemptuous? Degrading? Disrespectful? In all my years as a parent and now, grandparent, the worst I’ve gotten has been a gentle roll of the eyes from my kids and grandkids,” he wrote on social media.
Bykofsky joked he was going to run for governor as an independent.
“My campaign pledge, quite simply, is ‘A P On Every Plate.’ Knowing that if the State can come for my license plate, they can come for yours,” he wrote.
The controversy gained attention online, eventually reaching the current governor.
Hochul posted a video to social media showing her phone conversation with Bykofsky, which featured the governor praising the plate as “an important lesson.”
“We’ll get it back for you. I think everybody should be reminded to pee before you go,” she said. “I have kids and grandkids, and I support the effort wholeheartedly.”
Bykofsky said he was satisfied with the outcome.
“In light of Governor Kathy Hochul restoring full rights and privileges to PB4WEGO, I am officially suspending my campaign for Governor of the Great State of New York,” he wrote Tuesday. “Thank you to all who supported this bold endeavor, both on behalf of the silly and absurd, and in advance of our First Amendment right to freedom of expression.”